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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28995690">Float Among The Stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceJammie/pseuds/SpaceJammie'>SpaceJammie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Oddly Specific First Meetings Fic Collection [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Iwaizumi Hajime, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Astronaut Oikawa Tooru, Except not actually an alien and if you call him that you'll for sure be called a dumbass, Fluff, Lightly sprinkled with MatsuHana, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:35:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28995690</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceJammie/pseuds/SpaceJammie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa gets his first solo space </p><p>Something goes really wrong. But at least something else goes really right.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Oddly Specific First Meetings Fic Collection [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982089</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Float Among The Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So I deleted the original version of this because I was going to redo it and extend it, like I'm doing with another fic. And I had intended to change everything after the first chapter(mostly why I deleted it, it was just going to be so different). But then I decided I didn't want to do that because ugh effort. So I changed the story a tiny bit and turned it into a oneshot.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Five year old Oikawa was sitting in front of his bedroom window so that he could look up at the night sky. He was wearing his favorite alien pajamas and was hugging a rocket ship pillow against his chest. He had his head leaning out of the open window to get a better view of the stars as he breathed in the crisp winter air. His eyes were as bright as the stars and just as full of wonder. There was nothing he loved more than the stars.</p><p>He had been sitting at the window for at least an hour before his mother walked into the room. "It's really late, Tooru. Time for sleep."</p><p>Oikawa stood up and climbed into his bed, then looked at his mother as she closed the window. "Mama, do you think there are people out there in the stars?"</p><p>With a gentle smile, his mother walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She moved to tuck him into his blanket as she answered his question. "No one knows for sure."</p><p>Oikawa smiled at his mom as he snuggled up in his blanket. "If there are, I'm going to find them when I'm a grown up!"</p><p>His mother gave him a kiss on his forehead and then flashed a bright grin; it was the same grin that he had learned to give when feeling confident. "I bet you will. You're my little space man, and you can do anything you set your mind on."</p><p>That’s what his mother always told him, and he believed those words a little more every time he heard them. He closed his eyes once his mother had turned out the light and then let his mind wander. That night, like most nights, he dreamed about floating around among the stars.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <strong>-Twenty Years Later-</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was looking out the window of the spaceship he was on with a content smile resting on his lips. He was wearing track pants and a shirt with 'Aliens Are Out There' written across the front. The artificial gravity and temperature control made the room pleasant to be in. It was easy to forget how cold it was outside; the warmth of the sun couldn’t reach Oikawa’s ship. </p><p>He was the youngest astronaut to be sent on a solo mission, and it was a wonderful feeling to have achieved such a goal. His job was to collect samples from Mars with the assistance of small drones that he could operate from his ship. With the most advanced technology, it had only taken three weeks to get to Mars from Earth. It was a trip that would have taken three months when Oikawa was a child. </p><p>But humanity had pushed more and more for the opportunity to explore the stars, and the developments needed for space travel were constantly evolving. The biggest downside of the mission was the timeframe, because Oikawa was only allowed to stay for two weeks to collect data. There would be six weeks of travel time and the ship could only carry a set amount of fuel, though he would have stayed much longer if possible. </p><p>And today was the last day that Oikawa would be orbiting Mars. The two weeks had gone by quickly. Far too quickly, in his opinion. He loved being in space and he wished he didn't have to head home already. But he couldn’t really talk his way into staying longer, since permission wasn’t the issue as much as lack of fuel capacity. </p><p>His only human contact for the two month long mission came from the midmorning radio briefings with his two best friends, both of whom worked at the space station back in Japan. After a long sigh, he walked away from the window that he had been staring out of and sat down at the controls to start the radio call. After he sipped his coffee, he sent out the signal and spoke into the microphone. </p><p>"Tooru to Earth. Come in, Makki! Or is it Mattsun today?"</p><p>A reply came quickly. "Hey Tooru. We’re both here."</p><p>"Hello there, Makki! Are you going to say hi to me too, Mattsun?"</p><p>"He’s busy at the moment. Are you excited to come home, or are you plotting out a way to camp out on Mars forever?"</p><p>Oikawa laughed deeply; he always enjoyed the short social interaction he got every day when talking to his long time friend and coworker. "Don't give me any ideas! However, considering it takes three weeks to get here, you'd think they would’ve figured out a way to let me stay longer."</p><p>"They extended it for you already, remember? And I still don’t know how you convinced them to go from one week to two weeks. But that means you have very little fuel to spare, so you’d better head back today like you're supposed to."</p><p>As he gave a playful grin that no one else could see, Oikawa replied in a confident tone. "Don't worry, I'll leave on time. I've got the samples that were requested and some extra ones too. And I’ve sent all the data already, you should receive it soon. There are some really promising signs of past civilization on Mars, I'd say. Put Mattsun on so I can say hi, and then I need to go outside of the ship and check something before I make the preparations to leave."</p><p>It was Matsukawa's voice that came over the radio just then. "Be careful when you're outside the ship. Don't goof off."</p><p>"Aw, Mattsun. You're not nearly as sweet as my mom, so don't even try to mother me," Oikawa teased. </p><p>Matsukawa's voice continued to come across the radio. "Speaking of her, your mom left you another message. She said to tell you that she hopes you found the people in the stars, and she can’t wait to see you when you get home so you can tell her all about your trip. Now get your stuff done and head home.”</p><p>“And don't forget to check in tomorrow,” Hanamaki added in a cheerful voice.</p><p>"Bye boys, talk to you at this same time tomorrow!"</p><p>The signal cut out and Oikawa smiled as he thought about his mom’s message. It had been hard not seeing her for so long, and he was looking forward to telling her about his first mission. She had always supported his dreams of being a space explorer; he was sure that her support was the biggest reason that he was successful. </p><p>Oikawa stood up and stretched his arms over his head, then swung them around for a moment to limber up. Then he tweaked the artificial gravity to make himself heavier so that the push ups, squats and other calisthenics he was about to do would be a more intense workout. He hadn't wanted his muscles to deteriorate over his two month mission, so he always put in an hour or two of exercise after his mid morning briefing. </p><p>Once he was done working out, he took a quick shower. Then he got suited up for going outside the ship. Once the thick spacesuit covered his body, he put on his helmet and locked it in place. Next, he walked into the airlock bay that led outside and sealed the doors behind him. He clicked on the safety harness that would keep him attached to the ship, and then grabbed a bar on the wall to keep himself in place as he shut off the artificial gravity. His body floated up and he giggled at the feeling of being weightless. Then he reached over to push the lever that controlled the hatch leading outside. </p><p>As Oikawa crawled along the outside of the ship, he looked down at the surface of Mars and smiled wistfully. He wished he would have been able to go to the surface. But the powerful drones he operated could do everything needed to collect samples and data. His bosses didn't want to risk his safety unnecessarily, and no amount of flattery would change their minds. But he hoped to get to go down to the surface of another planet someday. It was his dream to explore space, after all. </p><p>Before long, he had finished checking the area in the back of the ship that had set off a sensor. There was a small line that had come loose. After he tightened it, he held himself against the outside of the ship and looked around at the stars. It was a beautiful sight; he ended up staying there for almost thirty minutes as he let his imagination run wild. </p><p>When he finally started to crawl back around the ship to the airlock bay, some movement caught his eye. He turned to look back and felt his stomach drop. There was a large meteor flying right towards his ship. His eyes widened as fear shot through him; there was no way that he could get inside the ship fast enough to move it out of the path of the meteor. </p><p>Based on the trajectory of the giant space rock, it was going to push the ship into the atmosphere of Mars and send it crashing to the surface. Oikawa knew that he wouldn't survive that, especially not while on the outside of the ship. And that meant he had two choices: he could die burning up in the atmosphere, or he could unclip his safety harness and kick himself away from the ship. </p><p>He guessed there was less than a minute before the rock made impact with the ship. In a split second, he decided that he would rather die floating among the stars. So he unclipped his harness and braced his legs as he squatted down against the ship. Then he kicked off as hard as he could and floated away. He had just barely managed to get clear of the impact. </p><p>With a look of shock and horror, he watched the meteor collide with the ship and crunch into it as if it were aluminum foil. The ship, which had been his home for the past five weeks, was now as useless as a crushed can of soda. The meteor and the damaged ship continued on a path towards the surface of Mars.</p><p>Oikawa watched the ship and the meteor disappear into the atmosphere. Then he kicked his legs so that he could turn and look around himself. He had always wanted to be out in space just floating among the stars; it was his childhood dream. But this wasn't the way he wanted it to go. Panic started blooming in his chest as the reality of his circumstances set in. </p><p>Even though Hanamaki and Matsukawa would have received the automatic distress signal when the ship was damaged, it would be weeks before someone could make it out to Mars. And that’s if anyone was even sent out at all. It would be a lost cause. The company wouldn't spend millions on a mission to retrieve a dead man. Especially because all the data he had collected had been automatically sent to Earth at the end of his briefing. They wouldn’t have the actual samples, but they’d have the photos of them along with the test results from the various experiments that Oikawa had run on them.</p><p>He started nervously laughing while talking to himself. "Wow... This is not what I was planning to do today. But then, who actually plans to have their ship destroyed by a meteor, leaving them stranded in space.…"</p><p>Oikawa's giggling wouldn't stop. He laughed harder and harder at the situation he was in. It was just so ridiculous. If he had been inside the ship just five minutes earlier, the sensors would have let him know about the incoming meteor and he could have moved to safety. If only he hadn't paused so long to look at the stars that he loved so much.</p><p>What would Matsukawa and Hanamaki say to him if they could see him now? What would his mother say? She was going to be heartbroken. At that point, the laughter turned into sobbing. </p><p>Oikawa didn't want to die alone. He cried for a long time; he cried for himself, and for the grief that his mom and friends would experience. His tears floated around his helmet while his body shook with emotion, and he couldn’t even put his hands over his face like he wanted to do. He balled himself up as best he could while in his bulky space suit and wrapped his arms around his knees. </p><p>After a while, his tears were spent. He frowned to himself as he sniffled because he knew that he probably looked horrible. So many tears were floating around inside his helmet and the condensation was making it hard to see. He wouldn’t even get to appreciate the stars as he floated around aimlessly. As he thought about how much oxygen his spacesuit had, he realized that he could probably survive for a few days before he ran out. </p><p>He wondered what would kill him first: running out of air, or dehydration? </p><p>And then there was the chill of space that was slowly starting to make its way through the many layers of his spacesuit. As a shiver ran through him, he wondered if he should just open his helmet and let himself suffocate. Otherwise, he was in for a few days of misery before he met his fate. </p><p>As he debated with himself, a bright light surrounded him. He suddenly found himself sitting on a platform inside a small room. Since the room had artificial gravity, it probably had breathable air as well. So he pulled off his helmet and then wiped the remaining tears off his face while he looked around.</p><p>There was a control panel at the edge of the room just beyond the platform he was sitting on. And across the room was a sliding door, which opened right as Oikawa looked at it. A man stepped into the room just then. The man had a serious expression on his face and was dressed casually; he wore a sleeveless shirt that showed off his muscular arms and baggy pants with lots of pockets. </p><p>Oikawa looked up at the man from where he sat and studied him curiously. The man looked like a human, and a very attractive one at that; he had dark spiky hair, forest green eyes, sharp eyebrows, nice features, and a strong build. But he was out in the middle of space. And his ship was far more advanced than anything they had on Earth. Oikawa started to feel excited as his mind considered all the possibilities; perhaps the man was an alien that could make himself look human. </p><p>The man didn’t say anything at first and Oikawa wondered if they would even be able to understand each other. So he just gave a friendly grin and then hoped for the best as he said the first thing that came to mind.</p><p>"Are you an alien?"</p><p>The man seemed irritated as he responded. "Do I look like an alien? I'm a human, like you are. Dumbass."</p><p>Oikawa stood up and started walking towards the man, and was overwhelmed with everything he felt at that moment. He felt disappointment because the man was just a plain old human. He was unbearably curious about how he had been teleported onto the ship. And he felt tremendously grateful that he had been rescued.</p><p>The man took a step back as Oikawa came closer to him. "What are you doing?"</p><p>Without warning, Oikawa threw his arms around the man’s shoulders as he started to cry again. "I thought I was going to die!"</p><p>The man stood stiffly as Oikawa hugged him. After a few moments, he reached a hand around Oikawa's back and gave a few awkward pats. "There, there… uh… you're fine now. I picked up your distress signal and happened to be close by. Were there any others on your ship?"</p><p>Oikawa shook his head as he continued to hug the man tightly; his tears were still flowing freely at that point. "It's just me. I was alone. I haven’t seen another person in five whole weeks."</p><p>The man put his hands on Oikawa's hips and tried to push him away. "That explains why you're so clingy. What's your name?"</p><p>Oikawa wouldn't let go. "Oikawa Tooru. What about you?"</p><p>"Iwaizumi."</p><p>"Wow, your name sounds very Japanese. You could totally be from my part of Earth," Oikawa said as he sniffled.</p><p>Iwaizumi’s tone was almost scornful. "You're from Earth?"</p><p>Oikawa finally let go at that point so he could pull back and look at Iwaizumi’s face. "Why do you make it sound like a bad thing, Iwa-chan?"</p><p>Iwaizumi replied as he stepped away from Oikawa, since he had finally been released from the embrace. "Because my people don't go to Earth. It's said to be unsuitable for contact, or something. And my name’s not Iwa-chan. It's Iwaizumi."</p><p>"Why’s it unsuitable, Iwa-chan? I've been waiting my whole life to find out if there are other people in the universe!”</p><p>"I said my name’s Iwaizumi. Is everyone on Earth as dumb as you? Maybe it's contagious and we don't want to catch it,” Iwaizumi replied dryly. </p><p>Oikawa pouted at that. "Calling you Iwa-chan is very affectionate in my culture! Are all aliens as rude as you?"</p><p>Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. "Nah, I'm the rudest one. I'll have to torture you now and dissect your brain."</p><p>Oikawa paled a little and stepped away defensively; he couldn’t tell if Iwaizumi was being serious or not. "That would be really mean, I don’t think you should do that."</p><p>Iwaizumi gently shoved Oikawa's arm. "I'm just teasing. Are you hungry?"</p><p>Oikawa replied with a nod as he started to take off his space suit; it was too hot to keep wearing it any longer. Underneath his spacesuit, he was wearing tight pants and a shirt with a picture of the solar system; there was a smiling alien head where the sun should be.</p><p>Iwaizumi glanced over Oikawa's outfit with a raised eyebrow, so Oikawa gave a playful grin and moved his body as if he were modeling. "Are you checking me out?"</p><p>Iwaizumi blushed slightly and turned around to leave the room. "Your shirt's just dumb. Come on, I want food."</p><p>With that, Iwaizumi led Oikawa out of the transport room and showed him the small dining area across the hallway. He walked up to a box shaped indent in the wall and typed something into the panel above it. When a plate of food appeared inside the box, Iwaizumi picked it up and handed it to Oikawa. </p><p>Oikawa took it cautiously and examined it. “It looks like real food,” he said right before he sniffed it. “And it smells pretty good, too.”</p><p>“Were you expecting fake food?” Iwaizumi asked as he got his own plate and went to sit at the table that had just two chairs. </p><p>Oikawa followed Iwaizumi over and sat next to him, then loudly scooted his chair closer. He hadn’t realized how much he missed being around other people until that moment, and it was such a good feeling to be near someone.  </p><p>Iwaizumi looked at how close Oikawa had come to him and scooted his chair away. “You’re not good at personal space, are you?”</p><p>“I’m better at outer space,” Oikawa said playfully. Then he took a small bite of food. “This is actually very good!”</p><p>Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa with a slightly offended air. "Of course it is. I'm not a child, I know how to operate an instant food system."</p><p>Oikawa elbowed Iwaizumi's arm playfully. "I've just never seen food that appears out of nowhere like that. All the food that I had on my ship was freeze dried to last through my two month long mission."</p><p>Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa with a sympathetic expression. "Earth's really primitive, huh? You must have it rough."</p><p>“In this particular case, I’d say yes. This food is significantly better than what I’ve been living off of lately,” Oikawa said with a sigh. He would be grateful if he never had to eat another freeze dried meal or nutritional paste.</p><p>When the two men finished eating, Iwaizumi took the plates and put them back in the food station. He pressed a button and they disappeared. Then he turned around and glanced at Oikawa, who was zoning out and looking at nothing in particular with a small grin on his face. So Iwaizumi cleared his throat before he spoke. "What’s on your mind?"</p><p>Oikawa looked over at Iwaizumi as he drummed his fingers on the table. He had been thinking about how he could convince Iwaizumi to let him come along to wherever it was that he was going. And he also wanted to show Iwaizumi that Earth was a beautiful place, not just some ‘unsuitable’ planet. "Well, now that I'm here, I want to learn all about your ship. And about you and the people you live with. Although friends and my mom will probably be assuming that I'm dead. So I was thinking that we should go surprise them. Do you mind heading to Earth?"</p><p>Iwaizumi scratched the back of his head and hesitated before he answered. "Well… I did just finish up a job. So I guess I could take you to Earth. But it’ll take us about a week to get there."</p><p>Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi incredulously; one week was amazing compared to the three it had taken him to get from Earth to Mars. "One week?!"</p><p>Iwaizumi nodded as he stood up. "Earth is about a week from here because this ship isn't made for speed. Better ships could make it in a few days. Why, how long did it take you to get here?"</p><p>After a dismissive wave of his hand, Oikawa replied with a forced chuckle. "Ah, just a bit longer than that. It's not really important."</p><p>Iwaizumi shrugged. "Okay. Well I need to go type up some notes. You can come watch me do that, I guess."</p><p>Oikawa stood up and wrapped an arm over Iwaizumi's shoulders as they walked out of the dining area. "Can I have a tour of the ship first?"</p><p>Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa’s arm on him but didn't complain about the close contact. "You've already seen half of it."</p><p>“Well show me the other half then,” Oikawa replied playfully. </p><p>Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and gave Oikawa a tour that took less than five minutes, then went to his office to work on his notes. But he wasn’t able to get much done because Oikawa kept asking questions every couple minutes. Eventually, Iwaizumi got so fed up with answering them that he gave Oikawa access to the ship's database so that he could just look up his questions by himself. He left Oikawa to read at his bedroom computer, then went back to his office alone.</p><p>It was several hours later when Iwaizumi came to get Oikawa. "Oi. You've been sitting there hunched over all day. You're gonna hurt your back."</p><p>Oikawa stretched his arms over his head and turned in his chair so that he could grin at Iwaizumi; he had already learned more than he could have ever dreamed, and he’d barely made it through a fraction of the files available to him. "You could rub my shoulders if you want. They’re definitely stiff."</p><p>Iwaizumi blushed slightly as he looked away. "I'm not doing that."</p><p>Oikawa stood up slowly and then winked. "A shoulder massage goes a long way when you're getting closer to someone."</p><p>"Who said I'm getting closer to you? I'm gonna drop you off on Earth and leave you there. Then I'll never have to deal with you or your questions again.”</p><p>Oikawa batted his eyelashes. "But wouldn't it be more fun to come explore Earth with me while I'm telling my friends and family that I'm still alive? I could show you around my town."</p><p>Iwaizumi crossed his arms and scowled, but his denial wasn’t very believable. "That doesn't sound fun at all."</p><p>Oikawa stepped closer and grinned confidently. "And wouldn't it be wonderful to explore space with me after? We could learn new things and see all kinds of places."</p><p>Iwaizumi stepped away so that Oikawa wasn’t so close to him anymore as he grew flustered. "Yeah, I’m not sure about that. You’re kind of annoying.”</p><p>Oikawa smiled playfully as he reached out to pinch Iwaizumi’s cheek. "I think you'll find that I'm fun to be around once you've gotten used to me."</p><p>Iwaizumi pushed Oikawa’s hand away as he spoke. "So I'll eventually build up a tolerance to you?"</p><p>That made Oikawa laugh heartily. “You know, my friend Makki once said something very similar. I think you’ll really like him when you meet him!”</p><p>"I just hope he doesn’t ask as many questions as you do," Iwaizumi mumbled. </p><p>Oikawa felt like he had just won somehow. "Are you going to feed me dinner?"</p><p>“I’m not in the habit of starving people,” Iwaizumi replied dryly. “Come on, let’s go eat.”</p><p>After they ate dinner together, they went to Iwaizumi’s sleeping quarters. Oikawa yawned and then gave an impish grin. “Since there’s only one bed, we should figure out how we want to sleep. Do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?"</p><p>Iwaizumi blushed as he handed Oikawa some pajamas. "You can sleep on the floor."</p><p>“That’s not very hospitable,” Oikawa teased playfully as he took the pajamas with him into the bathroom to change. </p><p>After more debate (meaning that Oikawa insisted that the floor was too uncomfortable, and Iwaizumi refused to give up his bed) they did end up sleeping next to each other. And Oikawa got to be the big spoon. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <strong>-One Week Later-</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa had thoroughly enjoyed traveling on Iwaizumi’s ship. And he enjoyed teasing Iwaizumi just as much, because the man was quick to blush over the littlest things. This had convinced Oikawa that Iwaizumi was attracted to him. That was convenient since Oikawa had decided to pursue Iwaizumi romantically. And so Oikawa started referring to everything they did together as a date. Breakfast together was a date. Sitting together while Iwaizumi reviewed notes was a date. Sleeping next to each other, which became a nightly occurrence, was a date. </p><p>At first, Iwaizumi denied that any dates were happening at all and told Oikawa to stop being a dumbass. But by the third day, he seemed to have accepted his fate. When Oikawa called it a date whenever they did some system maintenance or shared a meal, he just blushed quietly. And by the fifth day, Oikawa had taken to hugging Iwaizumi at random times. “Because you need at least twelve hugs a day to thrive, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa had said when confronted about it. </p><p>And now it was the seventh day of their journey. They flew down to Earth at night and found a good hiding place for the ship, then headed out to go talk to Hanamaki and Matsukawa early the next morning. Oikawa was hoping that his mom hadn’t been told about the accident yet. The space station wouldn’t announce a problem publicly until after the three week travel window. That was the official policy if there was a problem that may have led to the death of an astronaut. Because even though the team would have gotten a collision notice, they would hold onto hope for as long as possible. </p><p>As Oikawa and Iwaizumi walked along towards the apartment that Hanamaki and Matsukawa shared, Oikawa was chatting away. “So, Makki and Mattsun went to high school with me. We’re very close friends. And they know my mom really well. But that may mean that they already told her about my ship's distress signal. That’s why we’ll go see them first!”</p><p>“I see,’ Iwaizumi said as he was dragged along by the hand; it was another thing that he had come to accept without protest. </p><p>Oikawa had finally led them to the door of a third floor apartment. He knocked on it a couple times and then glanced at Iwaizumi. “It would have broken my moms heart to hear that I died, so I really hope she doesn’t know yet.”</p><p>When the door opened, Hanamaki stared at Oikawa in disbelief. He opened and closed his mouth a few times and was totally speechless. Then he started to cry. </p><p>Oikawa reached a hand forward and squeezed Hanamaki’s shoulder. "I’m home, Makki! Surprise!" </p><p>Meanwhile, Matsukawa had heard Oikawa's voice, which made him come over to the door. And then he pulled Oikawa into a hug as soon as he saw him. “What the hell! How are you here right now? Our last report said that your ship was headed towards the surface of Mars after a collision.”</p><p>"You can thank Iwa-chan, here. He saved me when a meteor collided with my ship. Don't let his mean looking face trick you, he’s a real sweetheart," Oikawa said cheerfully as he squeezed Matsukawa and then went to hug Hanamaki. </p><p>Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa and scowled. "Mean looking face?"</p><p>Oikawa turned around and wrapped his arms around Iwaizumi. "I'm only teasing! I like your face."</p><p>"I have a lot of questions right now. You two should come inside," Matsukawa suggested as he glanced between Iwaizumi and Oikawa. </p><p>Hanamaki was still crying, so Matsukawa guided him over to the couch by the hand and helped him sit down. In a similar way, Oikawa pulled Iwaizumi to the couch and then sat between him and Matsukawa.</p><p>Matsukawa looked at Oikawa and reached over to ruffle his hair affectionately. "We thought you were dead, Tooru. But now you show up here one week after your ship crashed. And you're telling us that this guy saved you?"</p><p>Hanamaki leaned past Matsukawa to look at Oikawa as he finally spoke. "We need answers, Tooru. What happened?"</p><p>Oikawa smirked. "I'll tell you something cool... Iwa-chan’s an alien! And he has an amazing space ship with incredibly advanced technology! As in, he teleported me onto his ship and made food appear out of thin air. And to top it all off, just look how cute he is!"</p><p>Iwaizumi blushed at that and then elbowed Oikawa’s arm. "I'm not an alien."</p><p>Oikawa rubbed his arm and then elbowed Iwaizumi in return. "Human, but still an alien as far as us <em> earthlings </em> are concerned. You're literally from outer space."</p><p>“Whatever, dumbass.” </p><p>Oikawa couldn’t resist the opportunity to get Iwaizumi even more flustered, so he took the man’s hand and held it against his chest. "Be nice, sweetheart! These are my oldest friends and they won't let me be with a mean guy. Plus, this is good practice. We’re going to go see my mom next and I want you two to get along."</p><p>Matsukawa cleared his throat. "I'm a little curious about what exactly is going on between you two."</p><p>"I think I'd say we’re boyfriends, right Iwa-chan? I mean, we’ve had countless dates and we’ve slept next to each other every night this past week," Oikawa said as he went to lean against Iwaizumi’s shoulder. </p><p>"I never agreed to any of that," Iwaizumi mumbled as his ears reddened from his blush.  </p><p>Hanamaki moved his legs over Matsukawa's lap so that he could turn his body in order to see Oikawa better. "I'm an emotional mess right now. Gods, Tooru! If you're going to die, just stay dead. I can't take the back and forth."</p><p>Oikawa gasped in mock hurt. "I'm sorry my survival is such an inconvenience to you, Makki. Here I thought you'd be happy to see me!"</p><p>Matsukawa squeezed one of Hanamaki's hands and one of Oikawa's hands at the same time. "We’re very happy you're okay, Tooru. But it's going to be hard to explain this to everyone at work."</p><p>Hanamaki nodded. "Yeah, have fun with that. I’m glad we didn’t tell your mom yet, so she didn’t have to go through the thought of losing you like we did. Which I’ll never forgive you for."</p><p>“Firstly of all, the crash wasn’t my fault! So I don’t need your forgiveness, brat,” said Oikawa as he pinched Hanamaki’s nose. "Secondly, I'm not staying long. I'm going to go with Iwa-chan to explore space and see where he comes from."</p><p>Hanamaki frowned at Oikawa in disbelief. "You're planning to do what, now?"</p><p>Iwaizumi shifted in his seat and was still blushing as red as ever. "I never really agreed to that, either."</p><p>Oikawa wrapped an arm around Iwaizumi’s shoulders. "You also said you wouldn't come down and meet my best friends and my mom, but here you are."</p><p>Hanamaki brows were furrowed and he looked like he wasn’t sure if he should laugh or punch Oikawa. “You’re going to go off with some weird guy you just met? No offense,” he said while nodding at Iwaizumi, who just frowned silently.</p><p>Matsukawa reached over to rub Hanamaki's back in a calming way. "What about your mom, Tooru?"</p><p>"I think she’ll be happy for me. She’ll even like Iwa-chan, attitude problem and all,” Oikawa teased. </p><p>"That's it, I'm leaving you here," Iwaizumi said as he went to stand up. </p><p>Oikawa jumped onto Iwaizumi’s lap. "You're stuck with me! Take me to explore the stars, I promise you won't regret it!"</p><p>Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa and gave a resigned sigh. "I’m already regretting it and we haven’t even left yet."</p><p>Oikawa hugged Iwaizumi tightly. “But imagine all the stuff we’ll get to do together! It’ll be so fun!”</p><p>Iwaizumi blushed as he was squeezed by Oikawa. “If you say so.”</p><p>"You’re really going to do this, huh?" Matsukawa asked as he gave Oikawa a serious look. </p><p>Oikawa's reply came right away. "It felt like the stars aligned when I met Iwaizumi! It was like destiny, or fate. This was meant to be!"</p><p>Hanamaki snorted. "Wow, that's cheesy even for you."</p><p>Iwaizumi seemed like he was so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear. "It's just a good thing that I came along when I did."</p><p>Oikawa nodded in agreement. "Yes, you literally saved my life. And your reward is lots and lots of time with me!"</p><p>Iwaizumi replied with a sarcastic tone, but he looked happy underneath the surface. "Wow, great. Lucky me."</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <strong>-The Evening Of That Same Day-</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was leading Iwaizumi down the street by the hand. They’d had a great visit with Hanamaki and Matsukawa and were now going to see Oikawa's mom. It wasn't too far of a walk; they reached the street that the small house was on after about twenty minutes. But as they walked up towards the house, Iwaizumi seemed to be getting nervous.  </p><p>And Oikawa could sense that tension, so he gave Iwaizumi's hand a squeeze. "Don't worry, Iwa-chan! My mom’s very nice. Much nicer than Makki and Mattsun, and you did just fine with them."</p><p>Iwaizumi scoffed and gave a denial that wasn’t very believable. "I'm not nervous. Why would I be?"</p><p>Oikawa stopped at the steps leading up to the house and turned to look at Iwaizumi while still holding the man’s hand; the only light outside was coming from the porch light, since it was already dark out. "It's a big deal to meet your boyfriend's mom. You don't have to act all tough, silly. It's obvious that you're worried and want to make a good impression. And I’m sure that you will!"</p><p>Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes. "You keep calling me your boyfriend, but I never agreed to that."</p><p>Oikawa leaned towards Iwaizumi with a knowing smile. "Are you upset that I didn't ask you formally? I’d just assumed that we had such an obvious connection that I didn't have to. I mean, you always snuggle me so sweetly."</p><p>Iwaizumi blushed as he spoke. "I was half asleep, I didn't do that on purpose."</p><p>"Well, it was still very nice to wake up like that,” Oikawa remarked. He took a moment to remember all the times that Iwaizumi had pulled him into his arms while they were both just waking up over the past week. Then he had a silly idea, and he decided to act on it because life was short. He stepped back and dramatically cleared his throat as he bowed, then held both his hands out, as if he were holding a letter. "Iwa-chan, I really like you. Please accept my feelings and go out with me."</p><p>Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa's empty hands. "Why are you holding your hands out like that?"</p><p>Oikawa turned his face up to look at Iwaizumi, but remained bowed. "Sometimes there’s a letter with a confession. I didn't have time to prepare one, you see. So mine’s imaginary."</p><p>After a long pause, Iwaizumi started laughing. Then he squatted down and hid his hands in his face as he continued to laugh uncontrollably.</p><p>Oikawa frowned as he straightened his stance. "I go through all the trouble of giving you an official confession, and you just laugh at me? Mean, Iwa-chan."</p><p>As he continued to laugh, Iwaizumi reached up and pretended to take the imaginary letter, then held his hands against his heart. "I'll always treasure this token of your affection."</p><p>Oikawa crossed his arms and started to pout. He was regretting going through with his idea at that point. So he tossed his hair and pretended like he didn’t care, even though his feelings were hurt.</p><p>But Iwaizumi noticed that Oikawa was upset, so he calmed himself and grabbed Oikawa's hands as he stood back up. "Hey… I'm not making fun of you. Sorry for laughing. That was really cute."</p><p>With a tilt of his head, Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi expectantly. "Is that your way of accepting my feelings?"</p><p>In response, Iwaizumi closed the distance between them and kissed Oikawa. It was quick, but it made both men blush. Then Iwaizumi cleared his throat and looked away. "I accept your feelings, or whatever."</p><p>As Oikawa was about to reply, the door of the house opened. Oikawa's mom stepped out and looked at the two men with an expression that was both surprised and happy. "Tooru? How are you home already? I thought you had two more weeks of travel time."</p><p>Oikawa rushed forward to hug his mom. "I just wanted to surprise you with my wonderful presence, of course. And I wanted you to meet my boyfriend!"</p><p>Oikawa gestured at Iwaizumi, who stood awkwardly at the bottom of the porch steps and gave a little wave. "Hi, nice to meet you."</p><p>Oikawa's mom smiled at Iwaizumi warmly. "Well, I'm shocked. Tooru’s never brought anyone home to meet me before. I was starting to think he wasn't interested in dating."</p><p>With a dramatic leap towards Iwaizumi, Oikawa wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "It turns out that the person I'm destined for wasn't here on Earth. I had to go really far away to find him."</p><p>"I was the one who found you," Iwaizumi said gruffly as he returned the hug.</p><p>Oikawa's mom raised her eyebrows curiously and then smirked. "I feel like this must be an interesting story, and one that would best be told over dinner. Come on inside. I want to hear all about it!"</p><p>Oikawa excitedly pulled Iwaizumi inside the house, which was actually his home too. He had helped his mom buy it once he started working. He had lived there with her afterwards so that he could save money.</p><p>The three of them talked in the kitchen while preparing dinner together, which was quite a new experience for Iwaizumi without instant food technology. But he seemed to feel at ease with Oikawa’s mom. She had the same confidence as her son, but with a softer way of showing it. And she basically accepted Iwaizumi as part of the family right away. It was obvious that Oikawa got his trait of warming up to others quickly from his mom.</p><p>The meal was a simple one, but it was delicious. Oikawa was really going to miss his mom’s cooking while he traveled. Iwaizumi’s instant food technology had nothing on his mom, even though it was way better than freeze dried food. Once they had finished eating, they sat together at the table and enjoyed some tea while Oikawa told his mom about the mission.</p><p>Oikawa’s mom sighed. "Well, Tooru… I won't lie. Hearing about that whole thing makes me afraid to know that you'll be going back out into space with Iwaizumi."</p><p>While giving a reassuring pat on his mother's hand, Oikawa smiled confidently. "He’ll take really good care of me. And his ship is very advanced. I'll be safer with him than if I were to go back up into space on a ship from Earth."</p><p>Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his neck. "My ship does have the best safety features available. I won't let anything bad happen to your son."</p><p>Oikawa's mom looked at Iwaizumi and gave him a kind smile. "I'm so grateful to you for saving my son, and helping fulfill his childhood dream. He always did say that he would be the one to find people out in the stars."</p><p>Iwaizumi shifted uncomfortably under the praise. "I’m glad that I was able to help."</p><p>Oikawa looked at his mom with a soft grin and felt his heart squeeze sadly. "We’ll come back and visit. I'll bring my camera and take pictures from all over the place so that you can see our adventures."</p><p>"I can’t wait to see them! And I want to get to know Iwaizumi better, so don't take too long between your visits home.”</p><p>Oikawa made a heart shape with his hands. "You know I’ll come back to visit as much as I can. Oh, can we have dinner here tomorrow night with Makki and Mattsun? As a little going away party."</p><p>"Of course. That sounds wonderful, I haven’t seen them in a while. Are those two ever going to get engaged? I’ve been waiting and waiting for that day to come, since it seems like they’ve been dating forever."</p><p>Oikawa giggled as he stood up and stacked the dishes that were on the table, then took them to the sink. "Let's bug them about it tomorrow!"</p><p>Iwaizumi stood up and grabbed the dishes that Oikawa couldn't get before he followed him to the kitchen. He then watched as Oikawa started rinsing dishes. "You have to cook your own food, <em> and </em> wash dishes by hand? Earth humanity really is rough."</p><p>Oikawa laughed and bumped his hip against Iwaizumi's hip. "It's the burden we bear. Grab a towel from the counter, Iwa-chan. I'll give you the full experience of domestic Earth life."</p><p>Iwaizumi smirked as he grabbed a towel, then whipped it around and snapped it lightly on Oikawa's lower back. Oikawa yelped and then sprayed Iwaizumi with water. The two men bounced playful banter back and forth as they did the dishes together. </p><p>Meanwhile, Oikawa's mom sat at the table drinking her tea while watching her son and his boyfriend interact. She wore a content smile. As the two men finished the dishes, she stood up and joined them in the kitchen. "Will you boys be up early or sleeping in?"</p><p>Oikawa looked at his mom and smiled. "I did tell Iwa-chan I'd show him around town tomorrow, so I want to get up bright and early!"</p><p>With a nod, Oikawa's mom turned to leave the kitchen. "Let me make breakfast for you in the morning. Goodnight, boys."</p><p>“Goodnight,” Iwaizumi and Oikawa said together. </p><p>Then Oikawa turned to Iwaizumi. "Do you want to shower first? Or maybe we could shower together?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at the suggestion.</p><p>Iwaizumi blushed. "I'm not showering with you, especially not in your mom's house!"</p><p>"Technically it's my house too. My bedroom is just down the hall there,” Oikawa said as he pointed to his room. </p><p>Iwaizumi crossed his arms as he shook his head. "No way."</p><p>Oikawa grabbed the bottom of Iwaizumi's shirt and pulled him towards the hallway. "Come on, I'll show you where the shower is and I'll let you go first, <em> alone</em>."</p><p>Iwaizumi seemed like he didn’t mind getting pulled around by Oikawa; he must have gotten used to it over the past week. The two men took turns showering, then Iwaizumi borrowed some of Oikawa's pajamas. He had a choice between stars, aliens, and planets. He ended up choosing the star pajamas and Oikawa wore the alien ones. </p><p>"I feel like a child wearing these," Iwaizumi complained as he looked down at himself. </p><p>After a short laugh, Oikawa gave a wink. "Some of us are lucky enough to never outgrow our childhood passions. And it's my love for outer space that brought us together, so be grateful!"</p><p>Iwaizumi hummed in a noncommittal way as he looked at the bed; the blanket was covered with planets and stars. He rolled his eyes, but didn’t end up commenting on it.</p><p>Oikawa crawled into his bed and patted the spot beside him, so Iwaizumi came over and laid next to him. They had to huddle close because it was a small bed; it was even smaller than the one on Iwaizumi’s ship. Oikawa crawled under Iwaizumi's arm and laid his head on his chest with a happy hum. </p><p>Iwaizumi wrapped his arm around Oikawa and held him. "You're still pretty clingy, you know."</p><p>"Can't help it. You're just so pleasant to cling onto," Oikawa murmured in a sleepy voice.</p><p>In response, Iwaizumi held Oikawa closer. Then he let out a little sigh. “I guess it’s nice being close to you.”</p><p>Oikawa wiggled happily. "I'm excited to show you around tomorrow, Iwa-chan.”</p><p>Iwaizumi yawned as he closed his eyes. "Where do you plan on taking us?"</p><p>Oikawa rested his hand on Iwaizumi’s chest. "Everywhere. I'll show you my favorite places."</p><p>"When we go to my home planet, I’ll show you my favorite places, too,” Iwaizumi offered. “And maybe we’ll find some new places to call our favorites."</p><p>After a long yawn, Oikawa mumbled in agreement. "I'd really like that. We have a lot of memories to make."</p><p>Iwaizumi reached over and tilted Oikawa's chin up, then leaned in to kiss him softly. Their lips lingered together for a minute. And then Iwaizumi laid his head back down and closed his eyes again. There was a soft smile on his lips as he spoke. "Goodnight, dumbass. Sleep well."</p><p>"See you in the morning, Iwa-chan." <em> And every other morning after this</em>, Oikawa thought happily to himself as he drifted off to sleep.</p>
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